Means for propelling vessels



(No Model.)

E. W. GRAM.

MEANS FOR PROPBLLING VESSBLS.

NO. 45Z,669. Patented May 19,1891.

v WITNESSES.

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

ERNST WILHELM GRAM, OF LAS VEGAS, TERRITORY OF NEV MEXICO.

MEANS FOR PROPELLING VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,669, dated May 19,1891.

Application filed July 31, 1890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST WILHELM GRAM, of Las Vegas, in the county ofSan Miguel and Territory of New Mexico, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Means for Propelling Vessels, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention consists in a combination, with the hull of the vesselhaving a stern of peculiar and recessed construction, of a series ofpropelling devices composed of a pair of paddle-wheels having verticalaxes and arranged to work within opposite sides of the recessed stern,and a screw-propeller having a horizontal axis and arranged to workcentrally within and through a reduced portion of the stern in rear ofthe paddle-wheels, substantially as hereinafter described, and pointedout in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 represents a side view of the stern portion of the hull of avessel constructed in accordance with my invention and with the seriesof propelling devices applied. Fig. 2 is a mainly sectional horizontalview upon the line a; as in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an upright View ofeither paddle-wheel shaft With blocks designed to support it and keep itfrom dropm p indicates the stern portion of the hull of a vessel,whichis constructed with a long rearward-tapering section b, arranged toleave a deep recess 0 on each side of the stern, exten ding out to theside plating cl of the hull and overlapped by said plating. Within theserecesses c are two paddle-wheels B l3-that is, one on each side of thestern. Each of these paddle-wheels is carried by an independent uprightshaft e and has curved upright floats f. Consequently said paddle-wheelsare What may be termed upright ones. They are arranged so that thefloats leave a clearance opening or space between them and theoverlapping plates at of the stern portion of the hull, the floatsworking both within and outside of the recesses c. To keep these wheelsfrom dropping, their shafts 6, each of which may be driven by an uppercrank g, are made with collars or swells h h on them, and the Serial No.360,502. (No model.)

same made to revolve within and through correspondingly-shaped bearingsformed by cast-iron or other metal blocks it, as shown in Fig. 3. Saidshafts are supported-below by triangular or other suitably-arranged barsor beams 76 7t, applied to the stern. The paddles themselves may be madeof any suitable materials. The stem like section b of the stern, whichalso forms the post for the rudder 0, has an aperture Z through it for ascrew propeller D to work Within and through, said propeller beingarranged to work centrally back of the upright paddlesvheels B B, andbeing carried and driven by a horizontal or longitudinal shaft m.

In the operation the recessed and stem-like construction of the sternperforms an impor tant part and secures an efficient action for theupright paddle-wheels on either side of the stern to propel the vesselin addition to the action of the screw-propeller in rear of said wheels,and the courses in which the water is displaced by the paddle wheels andscrew-propeller being perpendicular to each other-that is, the axes ofthe paddle-wheels being perpendicular to the axis of the screwpropeller,all the propelling means work in a most efficient manner to propel thevessel, and much more satisfactorily so than if the axes of the severalpropelling means were parallel with one another. By reversing the actionof the side or paddle wheel-that is, either wheel-the vessel may beturned in about her own length; also, if one wheel or shaft becomesdisabled there will still be sufficient power left to propel the vessel.

It will be noticed that each upright paddlewheel B has about half itswidth sheltered or under cover, as it were, of the walls of the recess cin the stern of the hull and of the guard or extension of the sideplating d beyond the hull. This causes the floats, as they projectlaterally beyond said'recess and side plating, to act upon the main bodyof the water outside of the hull to propel the vessel, while the floatswhich are on the inner side of the axis of the wheel simply act upondead water within the recess 0 and side-plating extension d withoutproducing any propelling effect, the resistance on these floats beingequal to the force of the water as driven against the hull or walls ofthe recess. Thus the floats, having a lateral position outside of therecessed portion of the stern and acting freely upon the main body ofWater outside of the hull, exert their required propelling effect.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- The combination, with the hull of thevessel having its stern of tapering construction to form recesses oneach side of the stern adjacent to the main body of the hull, of thepaddle-wheels having upright axes and upright floats arranged to workboth within and outside of said recesses, and a revolving screwpropellerarranged to work with in and through said tapering portion of the sterncentrally in rear of the paddle wheels, the axes of; the paddle-wheelsbeing: perpendicular to the axis of the screw-propeller, substantiallyas shown and described.

ERNST WILIIELM GRAM. \Vitnesses:

JOHN K. MARTIN, W. HUBERTY.

